Social Science Research Methods

Professor Nathan Kemper

University of Arkansas
Social Science Research Methods

1. Introduction to Research
1.1 Scientific Research
Key Topics
1. What is Research?

2. Science Defined

3. Scientific Research

4. The Scientific Method

5. Types of Scientific Research

1. What is Research?

• What comes to mind when you hear the

word “Research”?
1. What is Research?

• What comes to mind when you hear the

word “Research”?
1. What is Research?
1. What is Research?
1. What is Research?

Scientific Research:
1. contributes to a body of science, and
2. follows the scientific method
2. Science Defined

• Science: a systematic and organized body

of knowledge in any area of inquiry that is
acquired using the scientific method
• Two broad categories:
1. Natural Science
2. Social Science
2. Science Defined

• Natural science is the science of naturally

occurring objects or phenomena, such as
light, objects, matter, earth, celestial bodies,
or the human body.
2. Science Defined

• Social science is the science of people or

collections of people, such as groups, firms,
societies, or economies, and their individual
or collective behaviors.
2. Science Defined

• How do the Natural sciences differ from the

Social sciences?

– Precision
– Accuracy
– Certainty
2. Science Defined

Corn response to Nitrogen fertilizer Happiness Survey

3. Scientific Research

• Scientific research operates at two levels:

1. a theoretical level and
2. an empirical level

• build theory => test theory => refine theory

3. Scientific Research

• Theory-building research is called inductive

– the goal of a researcher is to infer theoretical
concepts and patterns from observed data
3. Scientific Research

• Theory-testing research is called deductive

– the goal of the researcher is to test concepts
and patterns known from theory using new
empirical data.
3. Scientific Research

When would we use Inductive research?

When would we use Deductive research?
3. Scientific Research

• Building and testing theory in the social

sciences is difficult
– imprecise nature of the theoretical concepts
– inadequate tools to measure them
– presence of unaccounted factors
4. The Scientific Method

• Scientific method refers to a standardized

set of techniques for building scientific
knowledge
• The scientific method must satisfy four key
characteristics:
4. The Scientific Method

1. Logical: Scientific inferences must be based on

logical principles of reasoning
2. Confirmable: Inferences derived must match
with observed evidence
3. Repeatable: Other scientists should be able to
replicate a study and obtain similar results
4. Scrutinizable: The procedures used and the
inferences derived must withstand critical
scrutiny (peer review) by other scientists
4. The Scientific Method

• There are a variety of research techniques

• Laboratory experiments, field surveys, case
research, ethnographic research, and more
• The purpose of Social Science research is
to Explore, Describe, and Explain social
phenomena
5. Types of Scientific Research

• Projects grouped into three types:

1. exploratory
2. descriptive
3. explanatory
5. Types of Scientific Research

• Exploratory research: often conducted in

new areas of inquiry, where the goals are:
1. to measure the magnitude of a particular
phenomenon or behavior
2. to generate some initial ideas about that
phenomenon, or
3. to test the feasibility of undertaking a more
extensive study regarding phenomenon
5. Types of Scientific Research

• Descriptive research is directed at making

careful observations and detailed
documentation of a phenomenon of interest

• Examines the what, where, and when of a

phenomenon
5. Types of Scientific Research

• Explanatory research seeks explanations

of observed phenomena, problems, or
behaviors

• Examines the why and how of a

phenomenon
• It attempts to identify causal factors and
outcomes of the target phenomenon
5. Types of Scientific Research
Problem: Chronic high unemployment in Kosovo

Exploratory Descriptive Explanatory

Careful observations
New area of inquiry to and detailed To explain why events
Research
measure the extent of a documentation of a occur to extend or test
Goal phenomenon phenomenon (what, theory (why and how)
where, and when)
Qualitative: Qual or Quant:
Research Quantitative:
Focus groups and Surveys or
Method Experiment or surveys
in-depth interviews secondary data
Test the Theory of
Examine government
Measure the extent of Natural Unemployment by
data to understand
dissatisfaction of surveying unemployed
Example government policy to
how unemployment
workers regarding the
varies by age, gender,
reduce unemployment factors known to influence
and industry
the unemployment rate